Overflow face plate fitting



.Feb. 10; 1970 mm- NW9 ETAL 3,493,978

' OVERFLOW FAG E PLATE FITTING Filed may 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS CLARENCE B. HINDMAN BY STEVE J. SANETRIK Feb. 10,1970 I c. a. HINDMANI ET AL 3,493,978

OVERFLOW FACE PLATE FITTING Filed May 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS CLARENCE B. H INDMAN Eifi,l B STEVE J. SANETRIK United States Patent US. Cl. 4198 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An overflow closure fitting construction is used in conjunction with a vertical overflow pipe and its surmounting overflow elbow for mounting over an overflow opening of the vertical wall of a tub, such as a bathtub. The fitting has a hollow mounting frame provided with a front flange to receive a front face plate, and has a side rim to engage the inside of the vertical wall about the overflow opening. The side rim extends backwardly from the top and vertical sides of the mounting frame, and a central rim lug or finger extends backwardly from the bottom side of the frame to define a pair of open window or aperture portions therealong for passing overflow water from the tub into the overflow elbow and thus, to the overflow pipe. The mounting frame carries a pair of opposite side mounting portions in a backwardly offset relation behind the front flange and along the inside of the side rim to receive set screws that removably-secure iton and with respect to the elbow by means of a pair of mounting ears Within the elbow. The frame, in its secured relation, positions a gasket between a front flange of the elbow and the outer side of the vertical tub wall. The face plate has a latching, pivotal, lift-off mounting along its bottom side with a latching edge portion of the frame and is swung into and out of a mounted position with respect to the front flange of the frame thereby. The frame has an upper, centrally-positioned and backwardly-offset mounting lug to threadably-receive a set screw for removably-mounting the face plate on its front flange. The face plate may be provided with a central opening or socket portion having a pair of backward guide ears to pivotally-position and carry a rounded mid portion of a trip lever and compression spring assembly, such as used in a system employing a lever operated drain valve for the drain outlet of the tub. The face plate may also be completely closed-off and the central rim lug or finger of the mounting frame may be used to carry a pull chain where a pull type of drain plug is used for the tub.

DISCLOSURE The invention relates to an improved overflow closure fitting construction and particularly, to a construction that employs a mounting frame and a face plate removablycarried by the frame.

A phase of the invention deals with the employment of a mounting frame for securing an overflow elbow with respect to a tub overflow opening, forproviding overflow apertures, and for providing pivotal lift-off latching means for the face plate, whereby the-faceplate may be accurately aligned for insertion of a set screw to secure it*ontheframe.-' 9

There has been a need in the art for an improved overflow closure fitting 'constructionwhich' will make possible the utilization of a face plate that has an aesthetic appearance, but which does'notnecessarily have great strength and, further, which can be simply and easily mounted and removed without applying appreciable flexing tension thereon. Heretofore, it has been customary to use a fitting wherein the face plate is, itself, directly secured to the 3,493,978 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 overflow elbow and apertured for passing overflow water from the tub to the elbow. It has also heretofore been necessary to provide radically different designs of fitting constructions to adapt them to different types of drain operating systems. For example, one fitting may be suitable for a lever-operated system and another suitable for a chain or push button type of system.

There is a need for a construction that can be easily adapted for any type of drain operating system, which will eliminate the need for employment of a face plate for holding the open mouth of the overflow elbow in a mounted position withrespect to the overflow opening of the vertical wall of a tub and which, at the same time, will be relatively simple in construction and will facilitate inspection and cleaning out of the overflow and drain system.

It has thus been an object of the invention to devise an improved type of drain fitting which will solve the problem involved from the standpoint of present day fittings;

Another object has been to devise a fitting construction which will utilize a mounting frame that, although removable, serves to, itself, secure the overflow elbow in a sealed position with respect to the vertical Wall of a tub and about its overflow opening;

Another object of the invention has been to devise an improved type of fitting construction which will facilitate the utilization and mounting of a face plate member and which will minimize stress and strain on the face plate member;

A still further object of the invention has been to provide a fitting construction that basically can be adapted to different types of drain systems and which will require only a slight modification as to its face plate when used with a lever-operated drain valve control mechanism;

These and other objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiment, the drawings and the claims.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a vertical side sectional view illustratinga face plate assembly or overflow closure fitting construction of the invention in a fully mounted relationship on an overflow elbow that is positioned back of the chain opening in a tub wall;

FIGURE 2 is a front view on the same scale as and of the assembly of FIGURE 1; it is partially broken away to show its mounting frame;

FIGURE 2A is a fragmental front view in elevation on the scale of FIGURES l and 2 showing details of the construction of the elbow of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical side sectional view similar to and on the same scale as FIGURE 1 showing a slightly modified face plate assembly, such as may be used with a chain operated bottom drain plug or with a push button drain valve;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are respectively vertical front and rear views of the mounting frame of the constructions of FIGURES 1 and 3;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are respectively vertical and horizontal sectional views of the mounting frame, taken along the lines VI-VI and VIIVII of FIGURE 4;

' FIGURE 8 is a rear view of the face plate used with the assembly of FIGURE 3;

And, FIGURES 9 and 10 are respectively vertical and horizontal sectional views of the face plate taken along the lines IX-IX and XX of FIGURE 8; FIGURES 4 to 10 are on the same scale as FIGURES 1 to 3.

In carrying out the invention and as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3, a face plate assembly or overflow fitting closure structure or construction is provided for mounting over an overflow aperture or opening in the vertical wall 10 of a tub, such as a bathtub. The assembly is adaptable, in that as shown in FIGURE 1, it maybe used with a lever drain plug operating system, assembly,

or mechanism 12, or with a chain operated drain plug or a push button or other conventional type of drain valve, see FIGURE 3. For a valve which does not require an operating lever illustrated in FIGURE 1, face plate part 20 of the assembly may be provided, as shown in FIG- URES 3 and 8 to 10, with a completely closed-off front face. In both embodiments of the invention, a vertical waste or overflow pipe 11 is shown threadably-connected at its upper end portion to a lower end of an overflow elbow 13 for securing the elbow thereon. In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the members 11 and 13 serve as a housing for the operating mechanism 12 and, in the embodiments of both FIGURES 1 and 3, they cooperate with the drain aperture in the vertical wall 10 of a tub, such as a bathtub, to facilitate the inspection and cleaning of the drainage system of the tub and to provide overflow protection for the tub.

In both embodiments, the elbow 13 has a front open mouth portion, as defined by a vertically-extending and backwardly-sloped planar front flange or lip 14 that is adapted to engage a back face of a sealing washer or gasket 15 of a somewhat resilient material, such as resin or rubber. The gasket or washer 15 is shown as having a section of converging thickness downwardly and of diverging thickness upwardly and to, on its downstream or inner planar face, abut the lip or flange 14 and to, on its outer or upstream planar face, abut the outside face of the tub wall 10. The flange 14, on its opposite vertical sides, has a pair of slightly-inwardly projecting mounting ears 14a (see FIGURE 2A). The central portion of each ear 14a has a threaded bore hole 14b to receive a set screw or screw means 18 for removably-securing a mounting frame 16 of the face plate assembly with respect to the elbow 13. The pair of ears 14a thus serve as mounts for the removable fitting assembly which includes the frame 16 and also serve, in cooperation with the frame 16 and the pair of set screws 18, to secure the gasket 15 in a tight sealing relation between the outside of the tub wall 10 and the lip or flange 14 of the elbow 13.

The frame 16 has a hollow continuous shape, as shown particularly in FIGURE 2, to define a substantially planar front annular or continuous mounting flange 16a for receiving a face plate 20 or 20'. The frame 16 has a pair of vertically-extending, inwardly and backwardly projecting, side mounting portions 17, each of which has a bore hole 17a therethrough to receive mounting set screw 18 therein for securing the removable assembly on the mounting ears 14a of the elbow 13.

The frame 16 also has a backwardly-offset top mounting lug 19 (see FIGURES 2 and 4) that projects downwardly and has a threaded bore 19a to receive a set screw or screw means 25 for removably mounting the face plate 20 or 20' thereon. The frame16 may be of any suitable construction, but is preferably formed of a chrome coated plastic or a die castable material, such as zinc or aluminum. The face plate 20 or 20' may be of similar construction.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 1, 3, 6 and 7, the mounting frame 16 has a backwardly-extending angle shape from its front face or flange portion 16a to provide it with a backwardly-extending, annular side rim portion 16b along its top and vertical sides, that is adapted to seat at its back edge against the inner face of the tub wall 10, opposite the gasket 15. The rim portion 16b terminates (see FIGURES 4 and adjacent opposite ends of the bottom side of the frame 16 to define a pair of overflow window or aperture portions 16e with a centrallypositioned backwardly-extending lug or finger 160 (see FIGURE 2). It will be noted that the lug or finger 160 has the same backward extension as the rim 16b to provide an even abutment with the inside face or surface of the tub wall 10. Also, as shown particularly in FIGURE 3, the lug orfinger 16c may serve as a supporting finger for a pull chain 40 of a plug drain system.

The face plate 20 of FIGURES 1 and 2 has a planar outer face for closing-oif the drain opening or aperture in the tub wall 10, and has a centrally-positioned hole portion 20a adjacent its upper edge to receive threaded set screw 25. The set screw 25, as shown in FIGURE 1, is adapted to threadably-engage within the threaded bore 19a of the mounting lug 19 of the frame part 16. The lower horizontal side portion of the face plate 20 is of angle shape to provide a downwardly-projecting front edge portion 20b and a backwardly-projecting foot portion 20c that define a rounded recess to receive a rounded edge of latch or knife edge portion 16d therein and establish a pivoted mounting along the lower side portion of the face plate 20. It will be noted that the latch edge portion 16d projects upwardly from the inside and centrally of the front flange 16a of the mounting frame 16. Thus, the face plate may be pivoted on and off the latch edge portion 16d of the mounting frame 16 and into and out of an abutting position on its inner side with the front flange 16a, and with its hole 20a aligned by the lower pivotal mounting with the threaded bore 19a of the mounting lug 19. It will be noted that the latching edge 16d fits within the rounded recess defined between the portions 20b and 200 in such a manner as to provide a latching engagement that can only be disengaged by removing the set screw 25 and lifting the face plate 20 upwardly until the portion 200 clears the latching edge 16d.

In the embodiment of FIGURES l and 2, the face plate 20 has a centrally-disposed socket portion 21 to pivotally-receive a rounded or ball-like central portion a of a trip lever 30. A pair of triangular-shaped reinforcing ears 21a extend from the back side of the face plates 20 and 20' (see FIGURES 8 to 10) and, from the standpoint of the face plate 20 (see the dot and dash line of FIGURE 8) extend on opposite sides of the socket 21 to guide the central portion 30a of the trip lever 30. An inner, reduced end portion 30b of the trip lever 30 is adapted to receive a resilient assembly consisting of a compression spring 31 positioned thereon, a pair of back and front end washers 32 and 33 that serve as end abutment parts for the spring 31, and a cotter pin or other suitable means 34 which extends transversely therethrough to abut the back washer 32 and retain spring 31 in a semi-compressed relation between washers 32 and 33. The back edges of the ears 21a provided by the face plate 20 serve as a front end restraining or abutment means for the front washer 33. The spring assembly thus serves to somewhat resiliently retain the ball portion 30a of the trip lever 30 in an operating position and, under manual force applied to the lever 30, to pivot it on its ball portion 30a to open and close a drain plug (not shown) through the operation of a conventional drain plug operating system or assembly 12. At its upper end, the assembly 12 is shown pivotally mounted by a cotter pin 35 to the back end of the reduced end portion 30b of the trip lever 30.

In FIGURE 3, face plate 20' is of the same construction and mounting as the face plate 20 of FIGURE 1, but its center portion 21 is closed-off in the area through which the trip lever 30 would normally extend. If a conventional pull type of plug is to be used, its pull chain with a closed eyelet 41 may be provided to loop over the finger to retain the pull chain in a supported relation to extend from the frame 16. If a push button type of drain valve is used for the tub drain opening, then the chain 40 may be eliminated.

It will be apparent from the illustrated embodiments of the invention that it utilizes a mounting assembly of two main parts, namely, a mounting frame part 16 and a face plate part 20 or 20', and that the face plate part 20 or 20 may be quickly and easily mounted and removed for cleaning and inspection purposes without disturbing the removable mounting of the frame part 16. The construction enables the effective employment of a single set screw 25 to facilitate the mounting and removal of the face plate part 20 or 20', which, itself, is only mounted on the frame part 16 and thus indirectly and not directly mounted on the elbow 13. In addition, where a lever system of an internal mounted type 12 is used for opening and closing the drain valve, the construction is such that the mounted connections thereof are disturbed to a minimum extent, since the trip lever 30 and the assembly may be removed with the face plate 20 by merely removing the cotter pin 35 which connects its back end to the main operating portions of the system 12.

For overflow purposes, the frame 16 is shown in FIG- URE 2 as provided with a pair of overflow window or aperture portions 16e at its bottom side in order that water (see arrows a of FIGURES 1, 2 and 5) may enter the elbow 13 and the overflow pipe 11 when the water level in the tub reaches a desired maximum height limit. The latching edge portion 16d has an upward convergence that facilitates its positioning within the portions 20b and 200.

Although embodiments of the invention have been shown for illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made in the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as represented by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an overflow closure fitting for the drain of a tub having an overflow opening in its vertical wall, having an overflow pipe extending upwardly along the vertical wall and an overflow elbow secured at its upper end to the pipe, the overflow elbow being provided with a front flange about its inlet opening to align with the overflow opening and being provided with a pair of mounting ears projecting inwardly thereof adjacent the front flange and each mounting ear having a threaded hole therein, and having an annular gasket positioned between the front flange and an outer side of the vertical wall about the overflow opening therein to provide a seal therebetween, an improved construction comprising, a mounting frame of hollow shape having a continuous substantially planar front mounting flange and a pair of opposed inwardlyextending side mounting portions with each having a bore hole therein, said mounting frame having a side rim projecting backwardly from said planar front mounting flange to engage an inner side of the vertical wall of the tub about the overflow opening therein and to position said front mounting flange in a forwardly-spaced relation with respect thereto, mounting screws adapted to extend through the holes in said side mounting portions to threadably-engage the threaded holes of the mounting ears of the elbow for securing said mounting frame in position against the inner side of the vertical wall of the tub about the overflow opening therein and for retaining the gasket in a sealing relation between the outer side of the vertical wall of the tub and the front flange of the elbow, said mounting frame having a latching edge portion projecting upwardly from a lower side of said planar front mounting flange thereof, a mounting lug projection downwardly-inwardly from an upper side of said mounting frame and having a threaded hole therein, said side rim having spaced-apart end portions on the lower side of said mounting frame defining an overflow aperture portion for overflow of water from the tub through said mounting frame into the overflow pipe, a front closing-off face plate having a continuous outer edge thereabout to engage said planar front mounting flange of said mounting frame fully therealong and thereabout, said face plate cooperating with said mounting frame to limit overflow of water from the tub to flow through said overflow aperture portion of said mounting frame, said face plate having an argle-shaped backwardly-projecting foot portion cooperating with a downwardly projecting front edge portion of said outer edge to pivotally-receive said latching edge portion of said mounting frame for downward mounting engagement thereon and upward removel therefrom, said face plate having a hole therethrough adjacent an upper portion of said outer edge for alignment with the threaded hole of said mounting lug, and screw means adapted to extend through the hole in said face plate into threaded engagement with the threaded hole of said mounting lug for removably-securing said face plate in position on and in abutment with said planar front mounting flange. of said mounting frame when said foot portion of said face plate is in mounting engagement on said latching edge portion of said mounting frame.

2. In an ovenflow closure fitting as defined in claim 1, said outer edge and said angle-shaped foot portion of said face plate cooperating to define a downwardly-extending front edge and a downwardly-extending back leg with a downwardly-open recess portion therebetween to receive said latching edge portion, said recess portion being of rounded shape, and said latching edge portion being of rounded shape to pivotally-fit in a complementary manner within said recess portion.

3. In an overflow closure fitting as defined in claim 2, said latching edge portion of said mounting frame extending horizontally along a bottom side of said planar front mounting flange as an inside edge thereof and being of convex upwardly-converging shape for pivotally introducin said recess portion thereon while accurately aligning the hole in said face plate with the threaded hole of said mounting lug, and said side mounting portions of said mounting frame being backwardly-offset from said planar front mounting flange thereof and lying on a common plane with back edges of said side rim thereof.

4. In an overflow closure fitting as defined in claim 1, said side rim of said mounting frame being continuous along its top and its opposed vertical sides, and a centrally-positioned finger extending backwardly from a bottom portion of said planar front mounting flange of said mounting frame and dividing said overflow aperture portion into a pair of overflow apertures between said spaced-apart end portions of said side rim.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 707,430 8/1902 Kuhn 58-88 797,829 8/ 1905 Weaver 4198 1,781,719 11/1930 Darling 4199 1,941,714 1/1934 Pasman 4203 2,308,189 1/1943 Marti 58-88 2,720,748 10/ 1955 Gisiger 58-88 2,832,081 4/1958 Young 4199 2,880,425 4/ 1959 Lengyel 4199 3,150,383 9/1964 Reich 4199 3,228,039 l/ 1966 Freeman 4206 FOREIGN PATENTS 744,099 1/ 1933 France.

23,140 5/1962 Germany. 909,320 5/ 1954 Germany.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner DONALD E. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4-199 

